This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/206,366, filed May 23, 2000, entitled xe2x80x9cInlet Sealsxe2x80x9d which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety as if fully set forth.
The present invention relates generally to seals for pipes and, more specifically, to a flexible seal forming member capable of sealing a pipe within an opening of an object.
Pipes used with storm water run off systems often terminate within a concrete catch basin. Collected storm water is transferred through a pipe and into the catch basin. In preparing a storm water system, the installation and maintenance of a proper seal between the pipe and the catch basin is critical. When a pipe is inserted into a hole in a catch basin, a gap is typically present between the pipe and the catch basin. Such gaps can be sealed using concrete or bricks and mortar which is an extremely time consuming process. Additionally, after installation and back filling of the basin is completed, there is a potential for leakage around the area between the pipe and the catch basin because the seal between the catch basin and the pipe tends to degrade when the catch basin is back filled. Additional factors such as extended use, aging, digging around the pipe and ground settling may shift the position of the pipe with respect to the catch basin causing leakage between the pipe and the catch basin.
Alternatively, pipes can be sealed to walls using a bulkhead fitting, such as that commonly used in sumps. However, to properly attach a pipe to a bulkhead fitting, the pipe should be oriented generally perpendicularly to the wall supporting the bulkhead. Thus, the use of bulkhead fittings typically requires more careful laying of pipe resulting in increased costs.
The above methods of sealing a pipe within an object can be problematic when used with polymeric pipes. Polymeric pipes often have multiple spaced apart longitudinal ridges located along the outer pipe surface to increase pipe rigidity and to provide the necessary pipe strength. In such pipes, grooves are present between the longitudinal ridges that make it difficult, at best, to establish an effective seal around the polymeric pipe.
What is desired, but has not yet been provided by the conventional art, is a method for sealing a pipe to an object and a seal apparatus that is easy to install between a pipe and an object, that allows for a pipe to be askew from perpendicular to the surface in which the pipe is sealed, that is effective at providing seals between objects and plastic pipes having spaced apart longitudinal ridges along the outer surface, and that is easy to remove and reinstall to simplify repairs.
One embodiment of the present invention is directed to a method for sealing a pipe within an opening. The method includes: providing an object having an opening forming an inner surface; positioning a pipe having an outer surface through the opening resulting in a gap between at least a portion of the outer surface of the pipe and the inner surface of the object; positioning a flexible member around at least a portion of the pipe and at least partially in the gap, the flexible member being expandable; and filling the flexible member with a pressurized agent to expand the flexible member forming a seal between the pipe and the object.
Another embodiment of the present invention is directed to a seal apparatus including an elongated body formed of a resilient expandable polymeric material defining an interior chamber and having a longitudinal axis. The elongated body is formed by two panels and has first and second ends. The elongated body is capable of being rolled up on itself by rolling one of the first and second ends of the elongated body in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis. At least one stem is attached to the elongated body and is in fluid communication with the interior chamber.